What absorbs at 1038 cm⁻¹ in an FTIR spectrum?
A band near 1038 cm⁻¹ can point to several functional groups. Below are the most likely assignments, ranked by how much published evidence supports each — every one traceable to literature (DOI) and cross-validated against our 130,000+ reference spectra and knowledge graph.
Backed by 8 cited sources
Quick answer
A band near 1038 cm⁻¹ is usually interpreted by checking which functional groups repeatedly co-occur there in the literature, then confirming at least one or two additional peaks in the same sample. This page ranks those assignments by accumulated evidence rather than by a single fixed textbook rule.
Possible functional-group assignments
| Functional group | Supporting facts | Cited sources | Top confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Methacrylate | 10 | 9 | 1.0 |
| Acetate | 10 | 9 | 1.0 |
| Methoxy (OCH3) | 9 | 8 | 1.0 |
| C-O single bond | 9 | 8 | 1.0 |
| Alkyl C-H | 8 | 8 | 1.0 |
| Silicon-oxygen (Si-O) | 7 | 6 | 1.0 |
| Hydroxyl (O-H) | 5 | 4 | 1.0 |
| Phosphate (PO4) | 3 | 3 | 1.0 |
| Aromatic ring | 3 | 3 | 1.0 |
| Amide | 3 | 2 | 1.0 |
| Carboxyl (COOH) | 2 | 2 | 1.0 |
| C c single bond | 2 | 2 | 1.0 |
| Metal oxygen | 2 | 2 | 1.0 |
| Silicon (Si) | 2 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Secondary amine | 2 | 1 | 1.0 |
| C n single bond | 2 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Siloxane (Si-O-Si) | 2 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Lignin | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Ketone | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Ester | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Carbonyl (C=O) | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Carbohydrate | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| N h | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Protein | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Ring structure | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| Carbonate | 1 | 1 | 0.9 |
Ranking reflects accumulated literature evidence, not a single fixed rule. Always confirm against your sample context.
Possible materials
| Material | Supporting peaks | Overlapping groups | Cited sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Silver Nanoparticles | 1038, 1636, 1631 | Methacrylate, Acetate, C-O single bond | 2 |
| methylene blue | 1038, 1745, 1739 | Methacrylate, Acetate | 1 |
| chitosan | 1038, 1650, 1655 | Acetate, Methacrylate, C-O single bond | 1 |
Materials are shown only when the same literature pool supports this band and at least one additional characteristic peak.
Spectrum logic
This band becomes meaningful only when read with its neighboring peaks. In practice, analysts first look at the assignments above, then check whether the same sample also shows other peaks expected for the same structural motif. A lone band near 1038 cm⁻¹ is usually not enough for material identification by itself.
Real-world usage
This type of query is common in polymer identification, unknown plastic screening, QC troubleshooting, recycled-material verification, and literature-backed peak assignment review.
Common mistakes
- Treating one isolated band as proof of a material without checking at least one or two supporting peaks.
- Ignoring overlap: multiple functional groups can contribute near the same wavenumber.
- Skipping validation when additives, blends, oxidation, or contamination may distort the spectrum.
Verification advice
When ambiguity remains, validate the hypothesis with DSC, GC-MS, or TGA, especially for blends, degraded samples, and filled polymers.
Literature behind these assignments
-
confidence 1.0
“The band at 1038 is C cm-1 attributed to O-Ag-O (Haghighi Pak et al.”
Haq 等 - 2018 - Fabrication of pure and moxifloxacin functionalize DOI: 10.1016/j.jphotobiol.2018.07.011 -
Alkyl C-H confidence 1.0
“cm-1 -CH 2980 and 2850 membranes generally resulted in higher peaks at 1038 and 1425/1375 corresponding to 2 cm-1 -CH stretching and 3OH bending respectively.”
Sunarso 等 - 2008 - Characterization of hybrid organic and inorganic f DOI: 10.1016/j.ssi.2008.02.066 -
Ring structure confidence 1.0
“The band at 1120 stretchingvibration.22Theabsorptionpeaksappearingat1144cm-1 ring.23 are assigned to the in-plane deformation vibration of the Py Thepeakat1038cm-1couldbeassignedtotheC-Hdeformation”
Zhang 等 - 2011 - PolypyrroleZnS CoreShell Coaxial Nanowires Prepa DOI: 10.1021/jp1079982 -
Acetate confidence 1.0
“The C-H groups' stretching vibration peaks are at about 2840-2940 cm-1 while the peak at 1038 corresponds to the C-O stretching.”
Photocatalytic Degradation of Methylene Blue Using Zinc Oxide Nanorods Grown on Activated Carbon Fibers DOI: 10.3390/su13094729 -
Acetate confidence 1.0
“In the same manner, the band at 1038 associated to C-O collagen and chitosan, both LMW and HMW chitosan.”
A Green Approach towards Native Collagen Scaffolds: Environmental and Physicochemical Assessment DOI: 10.3390/polym12071597 -
Aromatic ring confidence 1.0
“aromatic group in strong (C-H bend stretch, aliphatic amines group in medium (C-N stretch, 1055.96, 1038.12cm-1), alkenes group in strong (C-H rock, 981.81, 726.78cm-1), and alkyl halides group in medium (C-Br 567.83cm-1).”
Baranitharan 等 - 2022 - Fabrication of Silver Nanoparticles Using Fimbrist DOI: 10.1155/2022/4083663 -
Acetate confidence 1.0
“Furthermore, the cm-1 cm-1 1184 and 1038 bands could be attributed to the C-O stretching vibrations of 1184 cm-1 and 1038 cm-1 bands could be attributed to the C-O stretching vibrations of alcohols, esters, ethers and carboxylic acids from”
Green Synthesis and Characterization of Silver Nanoparticles Using a Lythrum salicaria Extract and In Vitro Exploration of Their Biological Activities DOI: 10.3390/life12101643 -
Phosphate (PO4) confidence 1.0
“Moreover, the adsorption peak of P-O at 1038 was changed, which proves that the role of the phosphate group of HA was also significant.”
Optimization of Cd (II) removal from aqueous solution by natural hydroxyapatite/bentonite composite using response surface methodology DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-32413-x
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